Pet Rescue case problems shameful
Hopefully, Dale Armon and Penny Horak, of the Pet Rescue Inc. of Bloomingdale and Hebron, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for their unconscionable disregard for the "law" exhibited in their behavior toward the unfortunate animals placed in their so-called care.
The death and suffering of countless innocent animals can be traced to lack of veterinary attention and the despicable conditions to which they were subjected under the management of these two women who fit the classic profile of "hoarders" and who have for 25-plus years viewed complainants with disdain and labeled them as those of "misguided zealots."
I pray there will be no more continuances due to the technicality of "notice to defendant" overlooked by both the DuPage state's attorney's office and the state.
This small misstep not only caused a month's delay in the trial, but also subjected the animals to yet more "prison" time. In the case of the dog Puji, it may have actually cost her life.
Inspections of the shelter turned up nothing even though dogs laying in their own feces and urine were not walked for 11 hours at a time. Mice infestation was everywhere and animals languished in their cramped dirty cages without vet care their silent cries for help going unanswered while written records on each went uninvestigated.
Endless amounts of documentation and complaints were presented on a "silver platter" to state and Bloomingdale police yet never acted upon. Shame on all involved for allowing this to continue.
Sharon A. Seremek
Itasca
Governments need to help animals
I am writing to express my concerns that the DuPage County State's Attorney and the Bloomingdale Police Department are not doing everything possible to protect the animals that are suffering terribly at Pet Rescue.
Gandhi said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
These living, sentient creatures can't help themselves. Governmental agencies need to do what is morally right for these animals and do so in a timely manner.
Fran Stenberg
Oak Brook
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Daily Herald, Letters to the Editor, 11/24/08
It's time to close Pet Rescue
Pet Rescue needs to be closed. Unfortunately, it seems the governing agencies have not performed their mandated duties and have not seized the animals from Pet Rescue in a timely manner.
Hoarders typically insist the animals they have collected are well cared for despite blatant physical evidence to the contrary. Pet Rescue refuses to see the sickness, filth, dead, and dying animals that receive no veterinarian care. Pet Rescue refuses to voluntarily surrender animals believing their collection may be euthanized. Our goal is to not have these animals receive further harm, but to be adopted to loving homes. The resolution to this case is not coming soon enough.
We have been frustrated by a lack of cooperation from public agencies involved.
We are begging the following agencies: Illinois Department of Agriculture, Bloomingdale Police, the village board, and Joseph E. Birkettt's office to share information with each other and close Pet Rescue permanently.
We were so thoroughly dismayed to find the Illinois Department of Agriculture failed to give proper notice, delaying this case and rescinding the order to close Pet Rescue. Our hearts hurt. Such careless mistakes are being made when the lives of these animals are at stake. Those that have witnessed the blatant disregard for animal welfare firsthand, as we have, would understand how truly unconscionable these mistakes are in this critical case.
A society is judged by how it treats the least among them. We hope that all agencies involved cooperate so God's creatures at Pet Rescue will finally be able to find caring, loving forever families and homes
Susan Lillis
Elgin
Pet Rescue needs to be closed. Unfortunately, it seems the governing agencies have not performed their mandated duties and have not seized the animals from Pet Rescue in a timely manner.
Hoarders typically insist the animals they have collected are well cared for despite blatant physical evidence to the contrary. Pet Rescue refuses to see the sickness, filth, dead, and dying animals that receive no veterinarian care. Pet Rescue refuses to voluntarily surrender animals believing their collection may be euthanized. Our goal is to not have these animals receive further harm, but to be adopted to loving homes. The resolution to this case is not coming soon enough.
We have been frustrated by a lack of cooperation from public agencies involved.
We are begging the following agencies: Illinois Department of Agriculture, Bloomingdale Police, the village board, and Joseph E. Birkettt's office to share information with each other and close Pet Rescue permanently.
We were so thoroughly dismayed to find the Illinois Department of Agriculture failed to give proper notice, delaying this case and rescinding the order to close Pet Rescue. Our hearts hurt. Such careless mistakes are being made when the lives of these animals are at stake. Those that have witnessed the blatant disregard for animal welfare firsthand, as we have, would understand how truly unconscionable these mistakes are in this critical case.
A society is judged by how it treats the least among them. We hope that all agencies involved cooperate so God's creatures at Pet Rescue will finally be able to find caring, loving forever families and homes
Susan Lillis
Elgin
Friday, November 21, 2008
Next Court Date: November 24
Please attend the next hearing on the Pet Rescue case:
Monday, November 24
8:30 am
Courtroom 4007
DuPage County Courthouse
Wheaton
Monday, November 24
8:30 am
Courtroom 4007
DuPage County Courthouse
Wheaton
Friday, November 14, 2008
Letters to the Editor Needed
Please write letters to the editor expressing concern that the DuPage County State's Attorney and the Bloomingdale Police Department need to do more to protect the animals that are still suffering at Pet Rescue.
The Daily Herald:
dpfencepost@dailyherald.com
Fax: 630-955-0895
The Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-lettertotheeditor,0,3578487.customform
Letters must be signed and include your address and phone number so the newspapers can verify authorship. Addresses and phone numbers will not be printed. Letters must be limited to 300 words.
The Daily Herald:
dpfencepost@dailyherald.com
Fax: 630-955-0895
The Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-lettertotheeditor,0,3578487.customform
Letters must be signed and include your address and phone number so the newspapers can verify authorship. Addresses and phone numbers will not be printed. Letters must be limited to 300 words.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Calls needed to DuPage State's Attorney
Despite the criminal charges pending against Horak and Armon, the animals are still living in cages at the Bloomingdale facility and suffering. There are only a handful of people to to take care of more than 200 animals each week. Sources say that Horak has instructed her people to cut back on the pet food to save money. Meanwhile, Horak and Armon continue to live in a $700,000 farm in Hebron paid for with Pet Rescue donations. It is unconscionable.
Please ask State's Attorney Joe Birkett to:
1) get a search warrant to have a DuPage county veterinarian inspect the animals
2) file additional charges against Horak and Armon and bring new charges against a shelter worker who put a seriously injured dog back into a cage on Saturday to suffer rather than seek veterinary care
3) look into whether financial crimes have been committed by Horak and Armon who continually plead poverty and deny the animals basic care despite reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in donations.
Joseph Birkett
DuPage County State's Attorney
503 N. County Farm Road
Wheaton, IL 60187
Phone (630) 407-8000
TDD(630) 510-3611
Fax(630) 407-8151
Email: stsattn@dupageco.org
Please ask State's Attorney Joe Birkett to:
1) get a search warrant to have a DuPage county veterinarian inspect the animals
2) file additional charges against Horak and Armon and bring new charges against a shelter worker who put a seriously injured dog back into a cage on Saturday to suffer rather than seek veterinary care
3) look into whether financial crimes have been committed by Horak and Armon who continually plead poverty and deny the animals basic care despite reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in donations.
Joseph Birkett
DuPage County State's Attorney
503 N. County Farm Road
Wheaton, IL 60187
Phone (630) 407-8000
TDD(630) 510-3611
Fax(630) 407-8151
Email: stsattn@dupageco.org
Daily Herald, November 13, 2008
Bloomingdale sets hearing over animal shelter's license
By Christy Gutowski | Daily Herald StaffContact writerPublished: 11/13/2008
Under scrutiny by the state, and with protests mounting from former clients, workers and volunteers, the embattled Pet Rescue could be shut down by the village of Bloomingdale.
Village leaders will hold a public hearing next month to consider revoking Pet Rescue's special-use permit for the first time since the animal shelter opened its doors there three decades ago.
The move, in part, is in response to growing complaints of alleged inhumane care at the privately run, no-kill shelter. Two of its top officials also face criminal cruelty charges, and their state operating license is in jeopardy.
"This has been a problem for a number of years," Bloomingdale Village President Robert Iden said. "We can pull the special-use permit, but that can't be done overnight. We're not just going to put a padlock on the front door so that no one can get in or go out.
But, he added, "We want the right resolution sooner rather than later."
Finding the right resolution, though, lies at the heart of a heated debate.
State officials confirmed Wednesday the shelter at 151 N. Bloomingdale Road is housing 164 cats and 44 dogs, double an earlier estimate. An Illinois Department of Agriculture inspector is checking in on the animals once a week, as recently as Monday, to ensure they have adequate food, water, shelter and proper care.
The state department suspended Pet Rescue's operating license Oct. 16 after a fourth alleged violation, but it was reinstated last week pending an administrative hearing later this year.
"The most current report is that the animals are being cared for and that (Pet Rescue) is meeting the statutory requirements," said Jeff Squibb, a department spokesman. "It's my understanding this facility has been a chronic problem, but to say there has not been any inspections or attempt to discipline them, is not an accurate statement."
Critics, many of whom said they witnessed atrocities firsthand, argue local, county, and state officials have allowed the situation to fester too long.
They said Pet Rescue officials are "hoarders," who'd rather see an animal live its life in a cage devoid of human contact rather than be put up for adoption. They describe conditions so filthy, the animals have red eyes due to the overpowering ammonia smell of urine and languish in feces-laden cages.
One volunteer, Lori Chaussey of Addison, started a letter-writing campaign last summer.
"I continue to stay because of the animals," she said in one letter to DuPage County prosecutors. "Believe me, it is easier to walk away and not be continually reminded of the neglect."
Afterward, Chaussey said, Pet Rescue officials let her go.
Pet Rescue president Dale Armon, 74, of Berkeley, and her director, Penny Horak, 69, of Winfield, are facing 16 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. In a separate case, a Carol Stream woman whose puppy adoption was denied is charged with theft after she tried to run off with a white Pappillon because the woman said she feared for its safety.
Police also are investigating whether a Pet Rescue worker should face criminal charges for denying proper veterinarian care to a male pitbull-mix dog who suffered multiple bites and a large cut during a Saturday dog fight at the shelter. Hours later, on Sunday, another worker rushed him to the Bloomingdale Animal Hospital for surgery.
A former worker, Victoria Cortez, of Streamwood, said the poor conditions have existed as far back as the 1990s when she worked for Pet Rescue as a veterinary technician for three months before she quit in disgust.
"Their idea of a 'no kill' shelter is abominable," Cortez said. "I remember a male gray tabby kitten with distemper who had a 106-degree temperature and was vomiting and had diarrhea. You couldn't pick it up because it was in so much pain. I was told, 'We don't kill here. Let God takes its course.' I watched that cat suffer for three days until it died."
If state agriculture officials suspend Pet Rescue's operating license, the shelter may reapply one year later. If Bloomingdale leaders revoke the special-use permit, which involves zoning issues, the shelter can no longer operate at the site. Neither public hearing date has been set yet, but both are expected next month.
Many authorities expressed frustration at the situation, which they blame a poorly written state animal welfare law for allowing to exist. They are strategizing possible options to best protect the animals, which are viewed under the law as Pet Rescue's private property unless ownership is relinquished or otherwise forfeited.
Meanwhile, Armon and Horak are back in court Nov. 24, when prosecutors will ask a judge to grant unannounced inspections with a licensed veterinarian. Both pleaded not guilty. They repeatedly denied interview requests and could not be reached Wednesday, but their lawyer, Rick Schoenfield, said they expect to be vindicated.
By Christy Gutowski | Daily Herald StaffContact writerPublished: 11/13/2008
Under scrutiny by the state, and with protests mounting from former clients, workers and volunteers, the embattled Pet Rescue could be shut down by the village of Bloomingdale.
Village leaders will hold a public hearing next month to consider revoking Pet Rescue's special-use permit for the first time since the animal shelter opened its doors there three decades ago.
The move, in part, is in response to growing complaints of alleged inhumane care at the privately run, no-kill shelter. Two of its top officials also face criminal cruelty charges, and their state operating license is in jeopardy.
"This has been a problem for a number of years," Bloomingdale Village President Robert Iden said. "We can pull the special-use permit, but that can't be done overnight. We're not just going to put a padlock on the front door so that no one can get in or go out.
But, he added, "We want the right resolution sooner rather than later."
Finding the right resolution, though, lies at the heart of a heated debate.
State officials confirmed Wednesday the shelter at 151 N. Bloomingdale Road is housing 164 cats and 44 dogs, double an earlier estimate. An Illinois Department of Agriculture inspector is checking in on the animals once a week, as recently as Monday, to ensure they have adequate food, water, shelter and proper care.
The state department suspended Pet Rescue's operating license Oct. 16 after a fourth alleged violation, but it was reinstated last week pending an administrative hearing later this year.
"The most current report is that the animals are being cared for and that (Pet Rescue) is meeting the statutory requirements," said Jeff Squibb, a department spokesman. "It's my understanding this facility has been a chronic problem, but to say there has not been any inspections or attempt to discipline them, is not an accurate statement."
Critics, many of whom said they witnessed atrocities firsthand, argue local, county, and state officials have allowed the situation to fester too long.
They said Pet Rescue officials are "hoarders," who'd rather see an animal live its life in a cage devoid of human contact rather than be put up for adoption. They describe conditions so filthy, the animals have red eyes due to the overpowering ammonia smell of urine and languish in feces-laden cages.
One volunteer, Lori Chaussey of Addison, started a letter-writing campaign last summer.
"I continue to stay because of the animals," she said in one letter to DuPage County prosecutors. "Believe me, it is easier to walk away and not be continually reminded of the neglect."
Afterward, Chaussey said, Pet Rescue officials let her go.
Pet Rescue president Dale Armon, 74, of Berkeley, and her director, Penny Horak, 69, of Winfield, are facing 16 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. In a separate case, a Carol Stream woman whose puppy adoption was denied is charged with theft after she tried to run off with a white Pappillon because the woman said she feared for its safety.
Police also are investigating whether a Pet Rescue worker should face criminal charges for denying proper veterinarian care to a male pitbull-mix dog who suffered multiple bites and a large cut during a Saturday dog fight at the shelter. Hours later, on Sunday, another worker rushed him to the Bloomingdale Animal Hospital for surgery.
A former worker, Victoria Cortez, of Streamwood, said the poor conditions have existed as far back as the 1990s when she worked for Pet Rescue as a veterinary technician for three months before she quit in disgust.
"Their idea of a 'no kill' shelter is abominable," Cortez said. "I remember a male gray tabby kitten with distemper who had a 106-degree temperature and was vomiting and had diarrhea. You couldn't pick it up because it was in so much pain. I was told, 'We don't kill here. Let God takes its course.' I watched that cat suffer for three days until it died."
If state agriculture officials suspend Pet Rescue's operating license, the shelter may reapply one year later. If Bloomingdale leaders revoke the special-use permit, which involves zoning issues, the shelter can no longer operate at the site. Neither public hearing date has been set yet, but both are expected next month.
Many authorities expressed frustration at the situation, which they blame a poorly written state animal welfare law for allowing to exist. They are strategizing possible options to best protect the animals, which are viewed under the law as Pet Rescue's private property unless ownership is relinquished or otherwise forfeited.
Meanwhile, Armon and Horak are back in court Nov. 24, when prosecutors will ask a judge to grant unannounced inspections with a licensed veterinarian. Both pleaded not guilty. They repeatedly denied interview requests and could not be reached Wednesday, but their lawyer, Rick Schoenfield, said they expect to be vindicated.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Daily Herald, 11/7/08
Bloomingdale animal shelter gets license back before hearing
By Christy Gutowski | Daily Herald Staff
In a victory for Pet Rescue, the Bloomingdale animal shelter had its license reinstated Thursday pending a hearing to protest alleged violations.
Pet Rescue lost its license Oct. 16 after state agriculture officials cited it for a fourth allegation.
Attorney Rick Schoenfield filed an emergency motion to lift the suspension, arguing the shelter was denied a fair chance to respond. An administrative law judge overseeing the state agriculture department suspension agreed.
A date for the administrative hearing has not been set yet. If the suspension is enforced, Pet Rescue may apply for a new license in one year.
"We expect that the claims will be rejected at the next hearing," Schoenfield said. "This will allow Pet Rescue to focus on caring for its animals."
The private no-kill shelter has been a subject of controversy for years as former volunteers, workers and clients criticized it for providing improper care to the animals.
The shelter's owner, Dale Armon, 74, and its director, Penny Horak, 69, are facing misdemeanor charges alleging animal cruelty and the violation of their duties for several sick cats and dogs, some of whom had to be euthanized.
Both women deny the charges and are due back in court Nov. 24.
Prosecutors also will ask a judge to force shelter officials to allow an independent official such as a DuPage County animal control officer to come in with a licensed veterinarian to check on the animals, mostly cats and dogs.
The state agriculture violations allege Pet Rescue lacked a pressurized water source or handwashing facility in its annex building. Earlier violations involved two adopted cats that had conjunctivitis, severe upper respiratory infections, pus coming out of their ears and a 104-degree temperature. A third sick cat named Mia had to be euthanized.
By Christy Gutowski | Daily Herald Staff
In a victory for Pet Rescue, the Bloomingdale animal shelter had its license reinstated Thursday pending a hearing to protest alleged violations.
Pet Rescue lost its license Oct. 16 after state agriculture officials cited it for a fourth allegation.
Attorney Rick Schoenfield filed an emergency motion to lift the suspension, arguing the shelter was denied a fair chance to respond. An administrative law judge overseeing the state agriculture department suspension agreed.
A date for the administrative hearing has not been set yet. If the suspension is enforced, Pet Rescue may apply for a new license in one year.
"We expect that the claims will be rejected at the next hearing," Schoenfield said. "This will allow Pet Rescue to focus on caring for its animals."
The private no-kill shelter has been a subject of controversy for years as former volunteers, workers and clients criticized it for providing improper care to the animals.
The shelter's owner, Dale Armon, 74, and its director, Penny Horak, 69, are facing misdemeanor charges alleging animal cruelty and the violation of their duties for several sick cats and dogs, some of whom had to be euthanized.
Both women deny the charges and are due back in court Nov. 24.
Prosecutors also will ask a judge to force shelter officials to allow an independent official such as a DuPage County animal control officer to come in with a licensed veterinarian to check on the animals, mostly cats and dogs.
The state agriculture violations allege Pet Rescue lacked a pressurized water source or handwashing facility in its annex building. Earlier violations involved two adopted cats that had conjunctivitis, severe upper respiratory infections, pus coming out of their ears and a 104-degree temperature. A third sick cat named Mia had to be euthanized.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Calls desperately needed to Joe Birkett! Call today!
The conditions for the animals have gotten even worse. Please ask DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett to personally intervene in this case. He needs to file an emergency motion to get a veterinarian into the facility and examine the animals. Otherwise, they will be removing 150-200 dog and cat carcasses from this “Pet Prison.”
Joe Birkett, DuPage County State's Attorney
Phone:(630) 407-8000
Joe Birkett, DuPage County State's Attorney
Phone:(630) 407-8000
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